Recognizing the Moment
by ShutUpAndPull
Summary: A follow-up piece to 'Between Here and There,' catching up with Rick and Kate several months after their time in Chicago. They find themselves heading out on a vacation together and what one of them hopes to be much more.
1. Chapter 1

_**Recognizing the Moment**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **AN: I wrote this piece because when I finished working on 'Between Here and There,' I just couldn't seem to get those two characters out of my head. A part of me had fallen in love. So, I dedicate these words to them, for their inspiration and for the joy they've brought me.**_

* * *

Kate's phone vibrated on her desk for the umpteenth time that day, its relentless pursuit of her attention having already grown tiresome by that early-afternoon hour. It was to be her final day at the office before nine days away, her first true vacation in years, and she could practically hear freedom whispering her name in welcome as she labored to tie up as many loose ends as she could. Rick was to land in the city from Albany by train at 6PM, and she was determined to get home before he arrived, the titillating thought of opening her door to welcome him driving her thoroughly dogged focus.

"Have you even gotten up from your desk, today?" her colleague asked, peeking unnoticed around the doorframe of her office. "Not that we don't love your sparkling personality around here, Beckett, but I think we can survive just fine without you for a few days."

Kate flinched in her chair, startled by the unexpected intrusion. "Hey, thanks, Miller. Nothing says enjoy your vacation like the assurance you won't be missed," she replied.

"Bring me back something tropical."

"My personality and I will see you in a week, Miller," she said with a grin as he backed away and disappeared. With her concentration successfully broken, she picked up her phone to find out what it was everyone wanted from her. There amongst several items of no urgency was a text message from Rick, who'd made his way to the station in wait for his train.

"I was going to call (you know what that voice of yours does to me) but I didn't want to disturb. I'm sure you have 1,000 things to do. Just wanted to let you know I'm still set to get in on time and I'll see you at your place. Oh, and I know it's a long shot because of your dad and dinner and everything, but there's something extra-special in it for you if you're NOT wearing that thing when I get there. Love you, Counselor."

Kate felt her body react as she read his words, that twitch he so often elicited with terribly little effort. She hadn't seen him in over a month, his schedule busy with end-of-year prep and finals, and hers filled with work on two separate cases, and her eyes ached for immersion in his, her skin for his touch, her tongue for his taste. Tomorrow they would set off together, and as she typed her "Can't wait to see you. Love you, too." reply, that delicious reality truly began to set in.

 **xxxx**

She managed to make it back to her apartment earlier than expected, even with a necessary stop at the market for the items Rick had requested she pick up for his preparation of their dinner. Her father would be joining them for the evening, a long-overdue first introduction of the two most important men in her life, and Rick insisted upon cooking, an arousing daydream she'd conjured up countless times in the week since he'd planted the seed.

A late-spring storm had settled over the city, and the rain was falling in sheets, its steady pulse at her windows almost hypnotic in its constancy. Rick sent her another message when he arrived at the station, just a quick taxi ride from her place, though securing one in the lousy weather at rush hour would, no doubt, prove to be a challenge, so she expected he might be late. She uncorked a bottle of merlot, twisted her hair up into a knot off her neck, and set the needle of her record player to the beginning of Coltrane's _My Favorite Things_ while she waited.

She'd changed out of her suit from work, including what Rick had hinted at in his earlier message, what he'd asked for without asking, and the charge born of his promise hummed inside her with unrelenting force. The effect he had on her mind and her body, the power he possessed, even from such a distance, was something she'd experienced with no other man, and she seized every opportunity, in person or otherwise, to make that known to him. Given the less than optimal amount of time they actually spent together, words were too often all she had.

She was set to pour herself a glass of wine when the knock at the door finally came, and she hurried to answer, the bottle absentmindedly still in hand.

"Ooo, straight from the bottle, huh? Must've been some day," Rick joked, his hair and his clothes dripping rainwater onto her doormat. "The good news is Puddle Man's here to rescue you from your doldrums."

"I must've missed that comic book release," Kate cracked. "And what exactly is Puddle Man's superpower?" she asked, eyeing his drenched form amusedly.

"His Chicken Scaloppini turns sexy Manhattan attorneys into mush," he replied with a proud air, fists at his hips, chest puffed out.

"Big talk for such a…soggy man," she purred.

"Permission for this soggy man to approach?" he said, charmingly employing lawyer-speak.

Kate crouched and set the bottle out of the way. "Permission granted," she replied, stepping into him before he had the chance to move and capturing his lips as though it'd been years, not weeks, since she'd last felt them. "God, you're so wet," she whispered with a giggle after several breathless moments of contact, pulling him in tighter against her body despite his state.

He leaned in for her ear. "Your turn later, right?" he asked, playful and palpably salacious.

She instantly wanted to show him, to guide his fingers to the truth her body already couldn't hide, but she knew once he touched her, she'd never be able to stop herself, and time wasn't on their side, her father set to arrive within the hour. "I'll shove my dad out the door the second we finish with dinner," she said in jest, plucking at the button of her jeans. "I'm sorry we don't have time for your extra-special something before he gets here, whatever it is, but I still thought you should know I'm not wearing what you wanted me not to wear." His eyes fell to her dancing fingers, and with the revelation his body released an awkward grumble of woe. "I hope that won't be a problem for you during dinner."

"Not as long as you give me an apron to wear," he quipped, evoking a laugh. "God, I missed you," he told her, his hand brushing her cheek.

"I missed you too, Professor. Now, get in here and cook us some chicken. I'd like to see if this Puddle Man of yours can turn me into mush."

The truth was, of course, he'd been there just minutes and already had.

 **xxxx**

Rick changed out of his clothes and into something dry and set to work in the kitchen with Kate's eyes on his every move. He enjoyed cooking and was surprisingly good at it, despite having a mother who made just two things well: spaghetti and scrambled eggs. He often wondered how it was he managed to grow at all, honestly. It was an important dinner for both of them, for more reasons than Kate knew, and though making a great first impression on her father played a large part in it, more than anything, Rick wanted it to be special for her.

"Thanks for picking up all this stuff," he said. "Guess you really are good at everything, grocery lists included." Kate was suddenly there but not there, her mind clearly elsewhere as she gazed fixedly at her glass. He reached out and brushed a finger across the back of her hand. "Hey, beautiful girl, is everything okay?"

"I'm...I'm sorry, what?" She looked up and smiled, but he wasn't buying it.

"You're thinking about something. Tell me what it is. I can cut asparagus and listen all at the same time. I'm quite talented, you know."

Sometimes she forgot how well he knew her, how easily he could read her. Ever since the day they'd met on that train months ago, their profound connection was one she hadn't found herself able to explain, and even with their limited time together, given their geography, that connection remained just as powerful. "No, it's nothing, really. I'm fine. And, yes, I assure you, your talents have been well illustrated," she replied, sipping her wine.

"Don't hide behind that thing," he told her. "Your eyes give you away every time. All someone has to do is take the time to look."

She set down her glass and met his eye. "I love you, you know."

"I know you do," he said.

"I was just thinking about how happy I am to be doing this tonight, to be introducing you to my dad. It's been a really long time since I shared someone with him like this."

Rick freed up his hands and rounded the counter to meet her where she sat. He stepped into the space between her thighs, her arms circling his waist and holding tight. "It means a lot to me, too." He kissed the top of her head and remained there for a long moment, taking her in. "You're not nervous, are you? I mean, I shaved and everything."

"You already know just what my dad looks for in a man. It's uncanny," she said, tilting her head upward, her chin at his belly. "God, I can't wait until tomorrow, just you, me, and that smooth face of yours for nine days."

Rick moved to kiss her but was interrupted by the door. "So close," he sighed backing away. "Would you like me to get it?"

Kate stood and grabbed his arm as leverage to pull herself into him. "The minute he's gone," she promised before kissing him hard and fast and heading for the door.

 **xxxx**

"I'm very impressed, Rick," Jim Beckett said as the three sat around the dining table before empty plates. "That was wonderful, and it's always nice to see Katie eating real food, for a change. I was beginning to think she didn't actually own plates." He leaned over and pinched her playfully on the arm. "Same time next week?"

"A week from now, we'll still be sipping from coconuts on the beach, Dad, but I'll see what I can do to convince him to come back and cook for us when we get home." She turned and looked at both men with such adoration, with such joy in the success of their union. Rare were the moments in her life she would label as perfect, but sitting there between them on that night certainly felt like one of them.

"Well, I'll be here as often as she'll have me, Jim," Rick said, taking Kate's hand. "And I appreciate the kind words, thank you. I'm happy you enjoyed it. It's not nearly as fun to chef it up for one, so it was truly my pleasure."

"So, what time's the flight tomorrow? I'm actually still in shock you convinced her to get on a plane, Rick," Jim said with a chuckle.

Rick pushed from his chair and began gathering up their dishes. "Just past 11AM, and I think it helped a bit that I bought the tickets first and _then_ told her about it. Of course, I also had to promise she could pick the next vacation spot, so I'm in for it, no doubt."

"I hear the north of Canada is beautiful in the winter," Jim suggested with a wicked smile.

Rick looked back over his shoulder as he made his way towards the kitchen. "Hey, now, please don't give the woman any ideas."

"You know, I've heard that, too," Kate chimed in. "I'm think I'm going to look into that."

"Oh, you Becketts are a cruel lot," Rick called out, going to work on the mess he'd left behind. "Guess I need to watch my back when I'm with you two."

"No, no, just a bit of fun with the new guy," Jim assured him. He looked to Kate and whispered an "I like him" before excusing himself to the restroom, and she sat and watched Rick quietly as he tidied up the kitchen. How many times she'd done that before. How contented she felt just being in his presence, how consumed with gratitude and comfort.

"I'd offer to help you in there, but I'm enjoying the view too much," she said. "I assume you're fine with that justification."

"The very minute, Counselor," Rick replied, calling up her earlier pledge.

Jim returned before the conversation could move any further, lucky for both. "Okay, you two, I hate to eat and run, but I should leave you to your packing and your last-minute business."

"Sure you don't want some coffee, Dad? We can-"

He crossed the room to her and gave her a hug. "I'm good, Katie. You guys do your thing. I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip. Your mom and I used to love going down there. Just make sure you call me when you get back so I know you're safe."

"I will, Dad. Thanks again for coming tonight. It meant a lot to me."

"Me too, kid," he said, hugging her a second time. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Dad."

Rick stepped out of the kitchen as Jim approached. "Um, Kate, you know, I'm going to run to the market down the street and get us some juice for breakfast. I forgot to put that on my list. I'll walk your dad out."

"Okay," she spoke softly to herself as she watched the two head out, thinking nothing of it.

"Thanks again for a great meal, Rick," Jim said as they stepped into the elevator together. "I really enjoyed meeting you. I'm just sorry it took so long to coordinate."

"It was well worth it, seeing how happy Kate was."

"Oh, I'm fairly certain you're mostly to credit for that happiness, Rick." The car began moving downward towards the lobby. "Honestly, I don't ever remember seeing her like this."

Rick took a deep breath as they reached the end of the ride and the door slid open. "Mr. Beckett, I'm sorry, may I talk with you for a minute?" he said as they stepped out.

"Sure, Rick, though the 'Mr. Beckett' is a bit formal. Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that, sorry." He pushed his hands down into his pockets and readied himself as best he could. He hadn't done what he was about to do the first time around, but that wasn't Kate, and everything about her, about them, was different. "Okay," he began with a firm exhale, "here goes. Before I ask you this, I want you to know that I love your daughter more than I thought I could ever love anyone, and she means more to me than anything in this world. I know she and I have only known each other for a few months, and you and I have just met, but I'm absolutely certain that I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy, and I'd be honored to have your blessing to ask her to be my wife."

"Wow, I can't say I was expecting to hear that tonight," Jim said.

Rick drew his hands nervously through his hair. "So, I did actually manage to say all of that out loud," he replied thankfully. "Good."

"Oh, I heard every word, Rick. You know, I've listened to Katie go on and on about this wonderful man that dropped into her life for a while now, and now that I've finally met you and spent some time with you, I understand why she feels the way she does. Sometimes it's just that easy. Sometimes you just know." He paused notably in thought. "Her mom and I…well, it didn't happen quite this quickly for us, but something in me always knew, I think. But, that's a story for another day. My daughter deserves everything good, Rick."

"That's all I want to give her, sir," Rick said.

Jim looked him in the eye and extended his hand. "I believe it," he said with a firm shake, "and for that, you have my blessing."

Rick walked back through Kate's door a short time later with a container of juice and a single red rose in hand, the juice merely his contrived cover for a few moments alone with her father. She met him in the entryway, his path inside blocked by the force of her body against his, his mouth pulled into a fiery, unrestrained kiss. "Missed me, huh?" he said smugly, tapping the tip of her nose with the flower.

"We haven't seen each other in over a month. You want to waste time talking or do you want to do this?" she asked, sliding a hand below his belt.

His eyes floated from her lips to her eyes and he began to slowly move forward, bumping her backwards with his waist as he went. "I definitely don't want to waste any more time," he said, knowing far more than she.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Rick held Kate's hand during the entire flight into Antigua, his fingers laced around the one he hoped would soon bear the ring he'd secretly tucked inside his messenger bag. He'd formulated no plan as to when it might happen, rehearsed no words, held no preconceived ideas about how, big or small, but before their nine days together there were over, he was certain the question would come out, one that would change the rest of his life forever.

"You really did great," he praised, settling his hand on her thigh as he piloted their initial drive from the airport to the house, one a colleague and friend had kindly allowed him to rent for their stay. "Thank you for trusting me, and for not breaking any of my fingers with your death grip."

"You should be thanking the two vodkas, I think," Kate said, "and your fingers serve very important functions, so they'll always be handled with care." She moved her hand from her lap to scratch lightly at the back of his neck. "Need I remind you of the incredibly important work they did last night?"

He snickered. "I remember every second of last night, thank you, and absolutely none of it constituted work, I assure you. Hell, if you'd let me do that for work, I'd be the-"

"Poorest professor in New York?" Kate jumped in. "Unable to afford such luxuries as island retreats?"

"Oh, but I'd be rich in so many other ways. So many," he beamed, clearly meditating on the fantasy.

Kate grinned and turned to the view beyond her window. "We're definitely not in Kansas anymore, that's for sure. God, it's breathtaking. I can already see why my parents loved it so much," she said, her tone thoughtful.

She suddenly became quiet and Rick took notice. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't know they spent time here when I set this up."

She took the back of his hair in her fingers, gentle yet firm. "You have nothing to apologize for, nothing. I'm not upset or sad, Rick, they're just on my mind, that's all. It's actually pretty incredible that you chose this island out of all of them, not that I'm all that surprised, given how every day's been since I met you."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's the best thing," she said, releasing her hold. "Now, how long until we get there? I have a proper thank you for taking such good care of me on the plane with your name on it."

"I so like the sound of that," he replied. "I have a feeling I'm really going to enjoy island life with you. And, the directions say four more minutes. Remind me again how many bikinis you packed."

"You mean for the third time?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're such a man. You know that?" she scolded playfully with a roll of her eyes. "Five. I packed five bikinis."

He lowered his foot on the gas pedal and the car's speed perceptibly increased. "Five," he whispered, and he thought of nothing else for three more long minutes.

 **xxxx**

The rental house was a modest one, but well-suited to their minimal needs, its front porch perched on a hillside overlooking the ocean. Lush green vegetation hugged its white façade, surrounding it like a wall and separating them from the outside world, the bright rays of the afternoon sun reflecting in the blue tile of the small circular pool off the back. It was immaculately readied for their arrival, a bowl of fresh fruit and a vase of flowers left as welcome gifts, and the two felt instantly at home.

They pushed open all the doors and windows to let the salty tropical air drift through, the breeze warm and pleasant. "I may never leave this place," Kate said, standing in the front doorway, holding her hair up off the back of her neck and devouring the dramatic view.

"You just don't want to get back on that plane," Rick teased, taking hold of her at the waist and pressing a kiss against the skin she'd exposed. "But if I thought for a minute you were serious, I'd quit my job today."

Kate rotated to face him, his hands accommodating the move. "You mean you'd give up those balmy Albany winters just for me?" she asked with a puckish hitch of her brow.

"I mean I'd give up anything for you," he said with the utmost sincerity.

She stepped into him without a word and held him, the blissful silence of their surroundings enveloping them, and let go only when her stomach broke the hush with a sound neither could ignore.

"Not a subtle hint, was it?" Rick said, taking her hand. "Why don't we go find you some food? That was bordering on scary."

Kate tugged him back when he tried to move away. "I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to be here with you. I'll eat fruit, I don't care. Is that okay?"

"Of course," he said, pulling her back in, "it's more than okay. In fact, maybe we should eat our fruit out by the pool. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"And here I thought writers were supposed to be masters of nuance," she said, tossing him a look.

"Hey, come on, you just don't understand how hard it is to be around you without…" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes traveled her body, up and then down.

"Go," she told him, swallowing a smile. "I'll meet you out there."

 **xxxx**

Rick stood in the pool with his arms folded on its edge, the day's sun fading into the soft shadow of night, and he watched as Kate read from the latest batch of edits for his book. He'd never trusted anyone with his unfinished work before, his new editor aside, but following her eyes as they scanned the lines of his pages truly thrilled and aroused him.

"I love the conversation with the father," she said in a pause. "It feels really authentic."

"Yeah, well, I've had quite a bit of new inspiration of late, so I tried to incorporate that - the tone, at least. All the talk with my dad has been really valuable, in a lot ways, actually." His mind immediately went to Jim and their conversation of the previous night, and he could feel his heart react. "You know, it really turns me on to watch you do that, to watch you read my work." He quickly backtracked with her double-take. "Not like that…though, okay, maybe also like that, but that's true of everything you do, so it doesn't count."

"Mmhmm," Kate hummed.

"I just meant sharing it with you excites me, and that feels good."

She stacked the pages and tucked them beneath the edge of her towel and stood, the air cooler with the hour, yet still gentle against her skin. With just a few steps, she was in the water with him, her body pressed against his at the pool's curved wall. He grabbed her at the back of the thighs and drew her legs up around his waist, his fingers tickling the spot where the fabric met at her top's clasp. "Do you have any idea how much you've changed my life?" she said, blinking an errant droplet of water from her eyelash.

"You mean besides the whole airplane thing?"

"Gloating is never attractive. I say this on behalf of all women."

"Noted," he said with a smirk. "And, for me, this time with you, being with you, has been the greatest honor of my life. That's not flowery language. That's not exaggeration. That's not writing for effect. You are everything for me that was missing before that day on the train. Well, except a dad, but I'm already working on that with someone else, sorry."

Kate giggled and pinched the back of his neck. "Thank you for being the one who loves me."

"Thank you for being the one who lets me," he said before their mouths met.

Within minutes, their dance beneath the water carried into the bedroom, and they were wholly absorbed in one another, the tiny world they'd fled to suffused with the sounds of their pleasure. They watched each other fixedly as their bodies moved in sync, their eyes expressing in perfect silence everything they wanted and needed. For those minutes and hours, only they existed, two of two, on a path through something they never saw coming, but now could never live without.

"Fuck, how do you do that?" slipped from her lips as her head met the pillow, the words more a sigh than anything.

"How do I do what?" he asked, running his tongue across his lips.

"Make me forget my fucking name with your body."

He angled for her ear. "As long as you don't forget my name. You know how much I love it when you beg me not to stop." Kate exhaled a chuckle but her body never moved, and he remained curled up against her on his side, tracing lazy swirls on the bare skin of her back with his fingertips as she came down from her high, her body twitching intermittently in response to what his had gifted. "I wish I could do that forever," he whispered, leaning in to kiss the flat between her shoulder blades, the spot dewy with the heat of their exertion. "I wish you could know how amazing you feel."

"You're a writer," she said into the stillness that followed. "Tell me."

He thought about it but didn't immediately reply, his hand still in gentle motion. He'd penned many words, guided others to find theirs, but he knew he'd surely fumble her task. Though his arsenal was vast, the articulation of the phenomenon that was her body, her being, more often than not rendered his mind virtually ineffectual.

"I don't care how it comes out," she went on, sensing his hesitation yet too electrified by the notion to let it pass. "Tell me what it feels like." He'd put that in her, as no one else ever had. Since they first met, he'd filled her with a hunger for more of everything and then drawn it back out of her like a magician with a spell.

"It's this incredible warmth, like a blanket I never want to crawl out of in winter. It's being held by the softest silk. It's wet and it's smooth and it's control I desperately want to cling to but desperately want to surrender at the same time. I ache at the sound of your breath, and when your muscles wrap themselves around me and hold me inside of you, you feel like the only place in the world I was ever meant to be."

Kate stared into the moon's beam of white light splashed across the floor, her body finally calm in the aftermath. "I don't ever want to be anywhere else." She rolled over onto her other side and caressed his cheek. "I think you're beautiful."

He softly kissed her lips. "Never as beautiful as you," he said and he let her sleep.

 **xxxx**

Rick got up early, his mind too noisy for sleep and his eyes too restless once sunlight had broken. There was a calm around them like he hadn't ever experienced, as though they existed in a bubble, and as he sat and watched Kate sleeping from the chair just a few feet from the bed, he felt that calm begin to permeate his entire being.

He reached down for his messenger bag and pulled from it the small, velvet bag holding the ring he'd chosen for her. It was true; he'd come only as he was, with only that ring and hope that a moment would inspire the most important words of his life, the words only he could give her, and it was in that calm that he finally understood. That moment was every moment he'd ever spent with her.

"I don't like it when you're naked and that far away from me," Kate said sleepily, her head propped up by her arms beneath her pillow. "What're you doin' over there?"

He dropped his hand to his side, her foggy eyes none the wiser. "Just thinking. Hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't. My body doesn't understand vacation since it's been so long. And, naked thinking?"

He leaned back and grinned. "Gorgeous, I do some of my very best thinking naked."

Kate managed to push herself up for a better view, the sheet falling from her bare body. "Well, how about you stop thinking for a while and come over here and help me with some morning exercise." She ran a hand wildly through her hair to help shake off the sleep, and when she looked back up, she saw it perched there between his two fingers.

"Why don't you come over here," he said, his heart thumping in his chest. "I want to see you." Her expression shifted to one of utter surprise and her eyes instantly began to fill up. He could see them glistening from where he sat. "I want to see all of you."

She climbed naked from the bed and stepped towards him as he moved from the chair to a kneeling position on the floor. "I have no idea what it is I've done in my life to deserve someone like you, Katherine Beckett, but know I don't want to live another minute of it without you. You are the reason I laugh. You are the reason I write. You are the reason I hope. You are the reason I understand what love means, and if you'll have me, I promise I will never for one second let you forget any of that. I want to be a man you're proud to love, always. Will you marry me and allow me to try my very best to make you happy for the rest of our lives?"

"I will," she said without the slightest hesitation. "Of course, I will." Tears rolled from her eyes and she pushed them from her cheeks. He slid the ring onto her finger and stood back up. "God, it's so beautiful."

"I love you so much," he said, pulling her into him by her hips.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and soft. "I love you, too. Don't ever forget that."

"Maybe I'll write it in my journal, just in case," he joked. "Ooo, maybe we should write your name there, too, you know, for all those times my body's going to make you forget it."

She slowly backed away, crooking her finger at him to follow. "Exercise, Professor," she said. "Exercise."


End file.
